Take this West Coast Smug...

It has been an unusual Spring on the West Coast for sure!  One of my Alberta "friends" sent this.  Well the great weather is back, so we are smug again.

Footloose - Canadian College of Performing Arts Show

While staying at Hemingway's By the Sea Bed and Breakfast, why not take in Footloose.  These students are really good. 

Summer-like day in the Fall - Nov 3-2000 Victoria BC

It was a spectcular sunny fall day and the city was awash with fall colours. It was warm, with the occassional ugly clowd floating by toward Vancouver, but Victoria was under a whole in the sky. For Nov. 3 it was amazing. Enjoy the fall colors of greater Victoria. Maybe if you are somewhere else in the world you might want to come for a visit. October and now into November was great weather. For more pictures please visit our Facebook Page. It you want to stay right in the middle of lots of this fall foliage, try Hemingways by the Sea Bed and Breakfast.

Ghost Bus Tours Victoria BC

Victoria is the most haunted city in British Columbia and many visitors come to experience haunted holidays. Ghostly Walks are popular walking tours in downtown Victoria throughout the year, but at Halloween the Ghostly Walks team, in conjunction with the Old Cemeteries Society, conducts Ghost Bus-tours. Now in their eighteenth year, Ghost Bus-tours are two-hour excursions in the luxury of a modern coach. The routes are different each year and are kept secret until the tours begin. Ghost Bus-tours glide through Victoria’s heritage neighbourhoods and into the suburbs to explore the city’s most haunted places. New stories are added each year, but by popular demand the favourites from past years are always included. One of the locations that has become an annual tradition is the Victoria Golf Course where the ghost of Doris Gravlin, murdered there by her husband in 1936, is frequently seen. John Adams, well-known historian and ghost storyteller, is the host for Ghost Bus-tours. Proceeds from Ghost Bus-tours assist the restoration and education programs of the Old Cemeteries Society.

Ghost Bus tours 2011 have tours scheduled on October 22, 28, 29 and 30. On each night there is a 6:30 pm departure. On Saturday October 29 there are departures at 6:30 and 9:00 pm. Tickets are $32 each plus HST. They are available exclusively through Tourism Victoria. Purchase them in there ways: at the Visitor Information Centre counter; by telephone 250.953.2033; or online at www.tourismvictoria.com/ghosts
For a great place to unwind and spend the night check out Hemingways By the Sea Bed and Breakfast. It is not haunted, guaranteed.

The Great Blue Heron at Esquimalt Lagoon Victoria BC

Today was such a great sunny day, I had to get out. Yesterday as we were passing by Beacon Hill Park, we saw a heron and took pictures with our phones. Today it was such a special day in the sun, I took my camera and headed for the Park. Workers had a front end loader right beside the lake, so most birds were far away. So, I headed out to beautiful Esquimalt Lagoon and took a bunch of pictures which you can see on my Facebook Page. Enjoy! Stay at Hemmingways By the Sea bed and breakfast and you will not be far from beautiful Esquimalt Lagoon or Beacon Hill Park.

Skinny Tato Polish Restaurant Downtown Victoria BC

A friend recommended this small Polish Restaurant at 615 Johnson Street to me a couple of weeks ago. Tonight we gave it a try and absolutely loved it. The first thing I heard from the cook in the kitchen was, this is a disaster. Well if this dinner was a disaster, the bring on the plague. Katherina, the cook and owner was upset because her normal cook and server did not show for work and she was left alone. Well, dinner was served in good time and it turned out to be one of the best meals we have had in a while. When we left, the flavour remained in our palate for a long time. All four of the salads were very good and the Potato Pancake was to die for! I had mine stuffed with Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut and Linda had spinach and feta. So, I am passing on the recommendation for a West Coast Polish Disaster Dinner at the Skinny Tato. Katherina has a great sense of humor and I am sure she will appreciate the humor. I am going back for sure.
If you are staying with us at Heminways by the Sea, you are just minutes to downtown and once you cross the blue bridge. just go about 1.5 blocks up Johnson Street and you will see the Skinny Tato on your right.

Ric's Grill 910 Government Street Victoria BC

My wife Linda and I were fortunate enough to be invited to a wine and food paring hosted by Ric's Grill in Victoria. For a photo-pictorial of the event and some great pictures of their food, please go to our Facebook Wall. The staff were amazing. Our servers Meghan and Amy were constantly available refreshing our drinks, taking away our empty dishes and bringing us one great dish after another. We started with some incredibly delicious bread pared with Prospect Riesling. Then came the appetizer plate, followed by a seafood plate and then a 3-steak plate. Chef Randy Davis and Sous Chef Brett Hewitt prepared excellent dishes. Valerie-Marie Lessard, the Wine & Beverage Director did an excellent job finding just the right wine for each course. Thanks to host and CEO Sonny Gupta for providing us with an overview of the history and direction of their restaurant chain. They definitely are on the right track, excellent food, great drinks at reasonable prices and staff that are friendly, helpful, and courteous. A job well done! Look for their opening at The Prestige Oceanfront Resort in Sooke.

While in Victoria, stay at Hemingways by the Sea Bed and Breakfast. We are only minutes away from Ric's Grill.